The second Grand Slam Masters Final took place in Bilbao, Spain earlier this month. The four players in the double round-robin qualified by winning one of the four Grand Slam events over the last 12 months: Sergey Karjakin, the winner of Wijk ann Zee, Alexander Grischuk, winner of Ciudad de Linares, Alexei Shirov, winner in Sofia, and Levon Aronian, second-place in Nanking, since the winner, Veselin Topalov, turned down his invitation to Bilbao. But not only did the substitute player win in Bilbao, he did it with a round to spare. After a first round loss to Grischuk, Aronian racked up four straight wins, a rare event in elite chess. The final score (3 points for a win and 1 for a draw) were Aronian 13, Grischuk 8, Karjakin 7 and Shirov 4.
Today's game is the first of Aronian's wins, playing White against Karjakin in round two. In an echo of our last column it features a mating attack with just rooks and bishop. The notes are based on those of Karsten Mueller on Chessbase.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3 c5 6.Nf3 d5 7.O-O dxc4 8.Bxc4 Nbd7 9.Qe2 b6 10.Rd1 cxd4 11.exd4 Bb7 12.d5 ---
A well-known idea in this line of the Nimzo-Indian, leading to a forced series of exchanges. 12. --- Bxc3 13.dxe6 Bxf3 14.gxf3 fxe6 15.bxc3 Qc7 16.Ba3!? ---
In the earliest games in this line in 1960, white played 16 Bxe6+, but White's extra f-pawn is worth little. The text move aims to keep the black knights passive while bring up White's major pieces. 16. --- Nc5 17.Rd4 Kh8 18.Re1 Rac8 19.Qe5 Qf7
Exchanging queens would leave White's rooks and bishops dominant, whereas this move eyes up the weak doubled f-pawns. 20.Bc1 Nd5 21.Bxd5 exd5 22.Qxd5 Qxf3?
Underestimating the power of the remaining White pieces. After 22...h6 23 Qxf7 Rxf7 the rook guards the 7th rank and White's extra pawn is no danger. 23.Qxf3 Rxf3 24.Re7! Rxc3?
Accepting the pawn sacrifice was unwise and gets the black rook offside, while it's white counterparts bear down on g7 – instead 24 ... Kg8 25 Rxa7 Rf7 safeguarding the king was necessary. 25.Be3 Ra3 26.Rg4 h5 27.Rg5! ---
Not 27 Rgxg7? allowing the pin 27 ... Rg8. After 28 Bd4 Rxg7+ 29 Rxg7 Rd3 Black survives. 28.--- h4?!
The toughest defence was 28 ... Rd8 29 Rxh5+ Kg8 30 Rg5 Kh8 31 Rgxg7 Rg8 32 Bd4 Rxg7+ 33 Rxg7 Rd3. 28.Bd4 Kh7
Getting caught in a mating net. The counter-attack 28 ... Ne6!? fails to 29 Rh5+ (Not 29 Rxe6?? Rc1+ 30 Kg2 h3 mate!) 29... Kg8 30 Rxe6 h3 31 Be3 Rxa2 32 Rxh3. 29.Rgxg7+ Kh6 30.Bb2 Resigns
The threat of 31 Bc1+ mating means the rook is lost.
Substitute wins Grand Slam Final
Problem: White to play and mate in three.
The second Grand Slam Masters Final took place in Bilbao, Spain earlier this month. The four players in the double round-robin qualified by winning one of the four Grand Slam events over the last 12 months: Sergey Karjakin, the winner of Wijk ann Zee, Alexander Grischuk, winner of Ciudad de Linares, Alexei Shirov, winner in Sofia, and Levon Aronian, second-place in Nanking, since the winner, Veselin Topalov, turned down his invitation to Bilbao. But not only did the substitute player win in Bilbao, he did it with a round to spare. After a first round loss to Grischuk, Aronian racked up four straight wins, a rare event in elite chess. The final score (3 points for a win and 1 for a draw) were Aronian 13, Grischuk 8, Karjakin 7 and Shirov 4.
Today's game is the first of Aronian's wins, playing White against Karjakin in round two. In an echo of our last column it features a mating attack with just rooks and bishop. The notes are based on those of Karsten Mueller on Chessbase.
1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 e6
3.Nc3 Bb4
4.e3 O-O
5.Bd3 c5
6.Nf3 d5
7.O-O dxc4
8.Bxc4 Nbd7
9.Qe2 b6
10.Rd1 cxd4
11.exd4 Bb7
12.d5 ---
A well-known idea in this line of the Nimzo-Indian, leading to a forced series of exchanges.
12. --- Bxc3
13.dxe6 Bxf3
14.gxf3 fxe6
15.bxc3 Qc7
16.Ba3!? ---
In the earliest games in this line in 1960, white played 16 Bxe6+, but White's extra f-pawn is worth little. The text move aims to keep the black knights passive while bring up White's major pieces.
16. --- Nc5
17.Rd4 Kh8
18.Re1 Rac8
19.Qe5 Qf7
Exchanging queens would leave White's rooks and bishops dominant, whereas this move eyes up the weak doubled f-pawns.
20.Bc1 Nd5
21.Bxd5 exd5
22.Qxd5 Qxf3?
Underestimating the power of the remaining White pieces. After 22...h6 23 Qxf7 Rxf7 the rook guards the 7th rank and White's extra pawn is no danger.
23.Qxf3 Rxf3
24.Re7! Rxc3?
Accepting the pawn sacrifice was unwise and gets the black rook offside, while it's white counterparts bear down on g7 – instead 24 ... Kg8 25 Rxa7 Rf7 safeguarding the king was necessary.
25.Be3 Ra3
26.Rg4 h5
27.Rg5! ---
Not 27 Rgxg7? allowing the pin 27 ... Rg8. After 28 Bd4 Rxg7+ 29 Rxg7 Rd3 Black survives.
28.--- h4?!
The toughest defence was 28 ... Rd8 29 Rxh5+ Kg8 30 Rg5 Kh8 31 Rgxg7 Rg8 32 Bd4 Rxg7+ 33 Rxg7 Rd3.
28.Bd4 Kh7
Getting caught in a mating net. The counter-attack 28 ... Ne6!? fails to 29 Rh5+ (Not 29 Rxe6?? Rc1+ 30 Kg2 h3 mate!) 29... Kg8 30 Rxe6 h3 31 Be3 Rxa2 32 Rxh3.
29.Rgxg7+ Kh6
30.Bb2 Resigns
The threat of 31 Bc1+ mating means the rook is lost.
1-0
Solution: 1 Bxb5+! axb5 (1... Bc6 2 Bxc6+ Rxc6 3 Rd8#) 2 Nc7+! Rxc7 3 Rd8#.